In the past several years, waterbeds and similar flotation sleeping devices have undergone a transformation from an esoteric, highly specialized item to a product line which has gained wide acceptance with the purchasing public. At the same time, waterbeds have evolved from fairly simple constructions, i.e., a watermattress surrounded by a safety liner supported in a low plank frame, to very sophisticated constructions which employ interior air chambers, baffle panels, gel-like liquid substances, and the like. These new constructions have increased the comfort and desirability of using waterbeds, and are largely responsible for the increased public acceptance of waterbeds.
The increased complexity of watermattress construction has resulted in greater production costs and fabrication problems. For example, the watermattresses which includes interior baffle panels often require a great amount of labor to effect the interior seams which secure the baffle panels within the mattress. Likewise, watermattress constructions which include interior air chambers for buoyant edge support also require more effort and skill to form the greater number of seams which are required.
Most of the effort directed toward improving waterbeds in recent years has involved improvements in the watermattress itself. At the same time, however, the standard frame and safety liner are still required to support the liquid filled mattress and to contain any liquid which might leak therefrom. Very little developmental effort has been direct toward the safety liner itself. The safety liner could be improved to permit the use of a simpler, less expensive watermattress than those now found on the market. By reducing the number of complicated, interior seams, it might well be possible to reduce the overall costs of the waterbed construction.